The present invention is directed towards a fire fighting monitor and especially to a monitor having a plurality of outlets and nozzles thereon which can direct a plurality of separate streams of fluid onto a fire.
In the past, a variety of monitors have been provided for use by firemen for controlling the flow of water onto a fire. Typical monitors are either permanently fixed on a fire truck. Other monitors are sometimes portable. All monitors provide for connection to a fire hydrant or other water source and then for directing the flow of water through a single outlet having a nozzle attached thereto for directing water onto a fire. Monitors provide for the rotation thereof to enable the directing the spray onto a fire. A typical monitor provides for rotating the monitor on its base through a 360.degree. circle and then for moving the monitor through an up and down pattern so that the nozzle can be directed in any direction desired from the fire truck. In contrast to prior art monitors, the present invention is directed towards a monitor having plural outlets and nozzles, each one having a circular swivel joint to provide flexibility in directing each nozzle separately and also allowing each nozzle to have a separate dispersion control and all of which nozzles can be controlled by one fireman simultaneously while being directed at one or more separate fires.
Typical prior art nozzles for irrigation and for fire fighting can be seen in the following U.S. patents:
______________________________________ 119,987 G. Bachstein November 28, 1854 177,499 J. Gerard, et al. May 16, 1976 178,271 J. Chadderton June 6, 1876 255,430 B. Holland, Jr. March 28, 1882 610,926 J. W. Suetterle September 28, 1898 691,858 M. H. Hart January 28, 1902 804,807 W. H. Glore November 14, 1905 1,104,580 A. Tregoning July 21, 1914 1,241,572 J. F. Stone October 2, 1917 1,282,697 E. Johnson October 22, 1918 1,534,761 J. B. Blaw April 21, 1925 2,468,008 H. W. Yocum April 19, 1948 2,542,080 W. J. Herrbold February 20, 1951 3,810,582 H. G. Lodge May 14, 1974 3,826,431 D. E. Telge July 30, 1974 3,863,845 J. G. Bumpstead February 4, 1974 4,183,410 G. Dion-Biro January 15, 1980 4,209,282 H. A. Eberhardt June 24, 1980 ______________________________________
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,410 to Dion-Biro, a fire fighting nozzle assembly having two discharged conduits is illustrated which can be rotated on its base and has two separately controlled discharge conduits. This differs from the present invention which contemplates three or more nozzles, each one mounted on a single or dual ball joint swivel from the same horizontal pipe so that a single fireman may rotate the monitor and control each nozzle separately as to direction and as to pattern of spray and as to which nozzle is turned on or off.